In the only AP Top 20 matchup of the weekend, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dominated No. 10 Michigan State for an upset win on the road 20-3 on Saturday night.
Quarterback Everett Golson was efficient for the Irish, who improved to 3-0
"It's a signature win," third-year Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly told the Associated Press.
The win gives the Irish their best start in the past 10 years and broke a few of their own streaks in the process. They snapped a six-game losing streak against ranked opponents and defeated a top-10 team for the first time since 2005 when they beat Michigan.
Senior linebacker Manti Te'o had a standout game for the Irish, with 12 tackles and two passes defended. He had been dealing with an extremely emotional week, including the loss of his grandmother and his girlfriend to leukemia.
"It was hard," Te'o said of his week. "But I had my family around me. At the end of the day, families are forever."
Michigan State had previously won 15 games in a row at home and hadn't allowed an offensive touchdown all year until Golson connected with John Goodman on a 36-yard pass in the first quarter.
The Spartans were completely stifled by the Notre Dame defense and didn't score until they converted a field goal with less than four minutes left in the second quarter. The kick would be the only points they would score on the night.
The Irish had four sacks and never allowed Spartans quarterback Andrew Maxwell to get settled. Maxwell finished with just 187 yards passing.
"Tough day at the office, I guess you'd say," coach Mark Dantonio said.
Golson passed for 178 yards and touchdown and also added a 6-yard rushing score in the second quarter to put the Irish up 14-0.
"We want to rejoice in this, but we also know that we have to come back and we have Michigan next week," Golson said. "That's a big rivalry game also."
Notre Dame outgained Michigan State 122 to 50 in rushing yards and emerged victorious even after going 1-14 on third down conversions.
Michigan State attempted a ferrous comeback in the fourth, but was stifled yet again when running back Le'Veon Bell tried to pitch the ball to teammate but ended up giving it to Te'o with just over four minutes left in the game.
Irish kicker Kyle Brindza added two field goals in the fourth quarter to put the Irish up 20-3.
Notre Dame hadn't held a top-10 team to fewer points than Michigan State scored in nearly 50 years. The last time was against USC in 1966 with the Irish winning 51-0.
Notre Dame next faces off against Michigan at home on Sept. 22, while the Spartans host Eastern Michigan.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
